Publix: Where Shopping Is A Pleasure (?)
This article is based off the Publix on the intersection of Woodbury Road and East Colonial in Orlando, Florida. ['NOTE: 'although layouts will differ slightly, experiences are often very similar.] Publix Supermarkets are a rapidly expanding chain located in the southeast United States. Stores can be found in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. They're main focus is customer service and providing the best possible experience for every shopper in their stores, hence the motto "Publix: Where Shopping is a Pleasure." Customers can expect to be greeted by most (if not every) employee they encounter and asked if they need assistance in any capacity. Walking In: What to Expect Publix Supermarkets include a pharmacy, bakery, a deli, a meat counter, a fish counter, a produce counter, a floral area, and at least one station where there sample recipes are cooked and handed out to customers for free. When going to a Publix Supermarket, you'll pull into a parking lot where there will be several cart parking stations. When you're done shopping, this is where you can put your cart (should you use one) for convenience. You'll likely also see one or more employees in the parking lot gathering the carts and rolling them back inside for other customers to use. You'll enter through an automatic sliding glass door into a small atrium where the carts and baskets are stored. There's also usually a holder for disinfectant wipes for you to wipe down the handle of your cart or basket. Should you not grab a basket or cart at this point, don't worry: baskets are located throughout the store for your convenience. Once you've decided whether you'll be grabbing a cart, basket, or neither, you will walk through another set of automatic sliding glass doors into the actual supermarket. Immediately in front of you will be, to your left, the customer service desk, where an employee will likely greet you. It should be noted that the aisles, then, are just beyond this. To your right, you'll walk past the pharmacy and into the small floral section, where bouquets and small potted flowers are for sale. This is also where they keep balloons, should you ever want to buy one for a birthday or other special occasion. An employee will put helium into it for you. Next to the floral section, to the left, is a display of their deals for the week. Bins of BOGO pasta, two for $6 (or whatever price they choose), and other similar deals can be found here. If you want more selection, you can go into that item's corresponding aisle and look at the other stock. For the purpose of this walkthrough, however, we will continue going around the perimeter of the store. If you keep walking you'll immediately stumble into the bakery, where Publix bakers have assorted breads, muffins, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods, made fresh daily. They also have a container of their cookies (which they're most known for) at their counter that they offer samples of to children who walk through. If you're lucky (and bold enough to ask) they'll give the adults a cookie, too. At this point we're at the first corner of the store, so we'll continue along the edge. If you keep walking, you'll walk past the deli. Other than lunch meats and cheeses, Publix will also make you their (popular) Publix sub sandwiches, or "Pub subs." They have various template subs that you can pick from, using either Boars Head or Publix products, and customize them to your liking. The Publix deli also offers a selection of fried chicken, which you can either buy pre-boxed or pick it straight from the case. Past this is the produce section, where you can find a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and fruit juices. Walking past that is the fish counter and meat counter, with a selection of meats running along the back wall of the store. Any piece of meat can be taken to the meat counter if you want a little less in the package or any sort of special request. If you continue walking to the other end of the store you'll find the dairy products and eggs. Publix does have a selection of dairy alternatives, as well. By the time you've walked around this edge of the store, you've made it back to the front where the check-out counters are. There's always at least one "10 Items or Less" line open for your smaller grocery hauls, and multiple other regular lines open. You enter the lane of your choice, and empty your groceries onto the moving conveyor belt to your left. If you have a lot to empty from a cart, the bagger may offer to help you unload them onto the belt. Your bagger will then ask if you would like paper or plastic bags. If you have reusable bags, put them down on the conveyor belt first, before any of your food. Note that the check-out lanes will have magazines to your left and various candies and mints to your right. They will also have a small mini-fridge of various sodas, iced teas, and energy drinks. The cashier, as they check out your items, will greet you and ask you how you're doing. Some are chattier than others. To pay, you can either hand cash to the cashier or insert/slide a credit/debit/gift card at the little card reader that faces you, in between the cashier and the bagger. To the left of the card reader is a screen facing you: it shows each purchase you're making as the cashier rings it up. You can use this to make sure that the price they advertised for the product matches up to what you're being charged. If there's a discrepancy, you can tell them and they'll do one of several things: # Send someone to check the price. If you're right, they'll change it. If not, they'll offer to get a manager or give you the option to remove the item from your purchases. # Get a manager to ask them about the discrepancy. The manager usually will give you the expected price, or offer you something to help make up for the confusion. # Take you at your word and charge you the price you expected. After you've made your purchases, your bagger will ask if you'd like help taking your groceries to the car. This is optional. If you say yes, they will push your cart/carry your groceries to your car and help load them in. They will engage in small talk with you. If you say no, they'll simply wish you a nice day and you can exit back into the parking lot. Notes About the Experience * If you walk past any Publix employee, they are likely to greet you. You don't have to respond to them, but if you do you won't be looped into a long conversation, especially if you keep moving. * If you need help, any Publix employee will do so without complaint. * Publix Supermarkets are usually fairly busy, especially around lunch time and during rush hour. * Publix Supermarkets have an online ordering system that you can use for their deli counter. You just set it up so that it goes to your nearest store and pick your pick-up time. This way, you avoid lines (and conversation). * If you want a Pub Sub at or around lunch or dinner time, do the online ordering to avoid a long line. Happy shopping!